Shaka Smart: 5 College Basketball Programs He Instantly Improves

Shaka Smart is one of the brightest young coaches that college basketball has to offer. After Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs made a Final Four appearance, the college basketball world thought it saw the end of the Cinderella stories.

The following year, Butler reached the Final Four for the second straight time, as well as another Cinderella sleeper, Virginia Commonwealth University.

VCU, an eleven seed at the time, reached the Final Four out of the Colonial Athletic Association.

The VCU Rams, led by 34-year-old head coach Shaka Smart, shocked the world last season when they took down perennial powerhouse Kansas and lost to Butler in the Final Four.

After last season Smart received a handsome raise, as well as being one of the top coaches to be in the discussion for the next big coaching job.

With loyalty and determination, Shaka Smart will be a hard get for many programs. With that being said, here is a list of schools that would love to have Shaka Smart as their head coach.

Illinois

The Illinois Fighting Illini missed the big dance this season, causing the university's athletic department to part ways with head coach Bruce Weber.

The Illini's first order of business? Hire Shaka Smart.

However, Smart supplied another shock to the college basketball world when he decided to stay in the CAA and remain the head coach of the VCU Rams.

Illinois could have used the presence of this young, rising coach who contains more energy then some of his players.

Illinois currently has Jabari Parker, the No. 1 overall player in the 2013 recruiting class, favoring the Illini. With a head coaching change, it should be interesting to see how this affects his recruitment.